Context hints: how ChatGPT ads are targeted
ChatGPT ads have no keywords. You write context hints, short descriptions of your business and when your ad fits, and OpenAI matches ads to the conversation. OpenAI sets no minimum or maximum number of hints.
Checked Sept 23, 2026 against 3 sources
What decides which ad shows
OpenAI says it weighs these, then runs a relevance-weighted second-price auction:
- What the person is talking about and trying to do
- Your landing page, title and copy
- Your context hints
- Your targeting choices: country, region, device, audience lists
- Your bid
- For users with personalization on, broader signals from their ChatGPT use
A more relevant ad can beat a higher bid.
Hints are descriptions, not rules
OpenAI's help page is direct about it: hints "are not targeting rules or delivery instructions" and "do not guarantee that your ad will appear". Think of them as briefing notes for a matching system, not a keyword list.
The "5 to 15 hints" rule is not official. It circulates in marketing guides. We checked OpenAI's pages on context hints, ad groups and launching campaigns. None gives a number.
Writing good hints
Describe the situation your customer is in, not the product name alone. A running shoe brand does better with "training for a first half marathon" than with "running shoes". Cover the jobs your product does, who it is for and what makes it different.
Other targeting you control
- Location: country, plus state, city, market or postal code where available. Product-feed campaigns are country-level only.
- Device: Android app, Android web, desktop web, iOS app, iOS web.
- Audience lists: upload customer emails or phone numbers. Inclusion lists need at least 25,000 matched users. Not for Europe or Switzerland.
Common questions
What are context hints in ChatGPT ads?
Short phrases you add to an ad group that describe your business and when your ad is relevant. They help OpenAI match the ad to conversations. They are not keywords.
How many context hints should I use?
OpenAI does not set a number. The "5 to 15 per ad group" figure you may see online does not appear in any OpenAI help page we checked.
Are context hints the same as keywords?
No. OpenAI says hints are not targeting rules or delivery instructions and do not guarantee your ad shows for any conversation.